No sides taken
by Aragorn II Elessar
Summary: Rewrite of the WestAllen family scene at the end of 5x4. No bashing. Just a mature way of handling the situation.


**Disclaimer: I do not own The Flash or anything else you may recognize**

 **This was just something that popped into my head after I watched the latest episode of Season 5 of The Flash. But the main inspiration for this is a conversation I had with Stand with Ward and Queen earlier today.**

"It must have been to protect you", Iris said to Nora to justify what she had done in the future.

"No", Nora argued, "What happened today has nothing to do with what happens in the future."

"You're right, Nora", Barry said as he walked in.

"What?" Iris asked him in confusion.

"Earlier, I said that maybe you had a good reason, Iris", Barry said, "But that time, I hadn't thought this out properly. But now I have."

"So what do you have to say, dad?" Nora asked.

"Iris", Barry said, "I have had my life controlled for 15 years by Thawne and then for 1 year by Hunter, so trust me, it's not a good feeling, having someone control you your entire life. And that's what future you did."

"But they did it to manipulate you for their own agendas", Iris said, feeling a little angry that Barry was comparing her to his enemies, "I did it in the future to protect her."

"Whatever the reason", Barry said, "Putting that chip inside her wasn't the right way to do it. Her life was controlled by you in the future because of that. And we as parents have to guide, advice and support our children, not control them. So it was wrong."

"Thank you, dad, for taking my side", Nora said.

"And Nora", Barry said as he turned to her, "I understand why you feel angry over what Iris did and I would feel the same way if I were you. But there is no justification for being angry with her for something she has not done yet."

"What?" Nora asked in confusion.

"Future Iris did that", Barry said, "But she hasn't done it yet. So it is pointless to hold a grudge against her for something she hasn't done yet."

"But the fact that she did it in the future means she is capable of doing it", Nora argued.

"Maybe she is. Maybe she isn't", Barry said, "But what's to say that this conversation we're having can't change the future? Perhaps this changes what Iris did. Maybe she won't do it now. You never know."

"But dad-"

"Look, I know. Even I am confused by this", Barry said, "But judging someone for something they haven't done yet is not right. All right?"

After some hesitation, Nora nodded.

"So apologize to your mother", Barry said.

"I am sorry, mom", Nora said with tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, Nora", Iris said with tears of her own as mother and daughter hugged each other emotionally.

"And Iris", Barry said, "Promise me, whatever happens in the future, you won't take away Nora's choice from her."

"I promise", Iris said without hesitation, "I won't do this to her, no matter what happens."

Turning to Nora, she said, "I know I haven't done it yet, but I'm sorry honey. I promise you I won't do it to you this time."

"It's okay, mom", Nora said with tears, "It's okay."

Mother and daughter hugged again as Barry looked at them with some tears in his own eyes. Deep down, he was proud of himself. And he knew Joe and Henry would be proud too. He had handled this situation maturely like an adult. Like a family man. Like both- a husband and a father.

* * *

 **This doesn't mean I am pro-Iris or pro-WestAllen suddenly. I still hate the character and the ship. But the purpose of this fic wasn't to bash anyone. It was to remove the flaws from the scene.**

 **First of all, while the season had a good start, this episode was meh. And this subplot made me dislike all the three of them. Nora because she is blaming Iris for something she hasn't done yet. Remember Terminator: Judgement Day? Sarah Conner tried to kill Miles Bennett Dyson for indirectly being responsible for Skynet's creation in the future.**

 **But it was shown to be a wrong move in the movie itself. And that's the case here. It made me dislike Iris because later she decided she was right somehow. And Barry because he didn't empathize with Nora, which was just horrifying and completely OOC for him.**

 **So this alternate version of the scene fixes that and we see how an in-character Barry would handle the situation.**

 **And on the positive side, the two good things about this episode were the Sherloque/Ralph dynamic and the Cicada storyline which keeps getting more and more interesting.**

 **Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Aragorn II Elessar.**


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